When a new employee starts work at St. Petersburg-based advertising firm The Clear Agency, he or she is issued an unusual on-the-job-tool: a scooter. The scooter is meant for zipping around the office or hitting the streets and it isn’t the only thing that makes the company unique.

The Clear Agency’s 4,000-square-foot loft space in the old McCrory building includes comfortable couches, an air-hockey table, a shower and a well-stocked refrigerator.

Jenn Greacen, Clear Agency CEO, said the environment is all about creating a relaxed yet stimulating space for employees to work. “In our office, we call it ‘the space we created for creating,’” she said.

Comfortable and cool office designs are becoming de rigueur in Tampa Bay for good reason. A 2012 survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that working adults spend an average of 8.8 hours at work or in work-related activities each day. That’s more time than they spend sleeping, eating or on any other individual activity. In light of this, corporate offices are paying more attention to the spaces they create in an effort to make the daily grind less of a chore for employees.

Trend toward openness, collaboration

Silicon Valley tech giants like Google and Facebook have been trend-setters in this regard with features like slides, pajama days and oversized Lego sets. But Tampa designer Catherine Kreher of Kreher Architects said offices need not try anything too drastic.

The trend toward openness and collaboration can be accomplished by knocking down a few walls and improving lighting, she said.

“Work spaces are becoming more open, furniture is getting lower, people are using a lot less paper, so we’re seeing a lot less storage needs,” Kreher said.

“We find that lighting is an element – with a lot more use of glass – where people have more drive-by interaction with each other.”

Kreher added that the definition of a “cool” office depends heavily on who the client is. “A law firm like Hill Ward Henderson, they are established, well-regarded and they might be looking for something more sturdy, solid,” she said. “Whereas a start-up might want to look different from anything anyone has seen.”

Drew Marshall, president of office furnishing company Corporate Interiors Group, said that an investment in an innovative office environment can improve productivity and employee wellness. “They are not just buying the cheapest chair they can,” Marshall said. “They are investing in a certain work environment that is going to improve the efficiency of their company and improve the health and well-being of their workforce, which is ultimately going to be financially beneficial for that company.”

As an example, Marshall pointed to the increasing use of height-adjustable desks in offices for employees who want to sit part of the day and stand sometimes at their work stations. “Everyone in corporate America is paying a lot of attention to the health benefits of a better work environment,” he said.

Investing in atmosphere

Since more and more office work can be done from remote locations, it becomes important for companies to get value out of their work space. Angela Davis of Tampa’s Junto Design Studio said that a recent redesign of AgileThought, a software development company, that included open, airy hallways, high-chaired collaboration stations and a foosball table, accomplished this goal.

Davis said after the redesign, “about 70 percent more of the people came into the office more regularly because the space was really cool and fun and they were able to connect with co-workers and collaborate on different ideas.”

John Lemp, CEO of Sarasota-based Internet marketing company Clickbooth, says investing in atmosphere pays off. In 2010, the company moved into an 12-acre campus that includes video arcades, massage chairs and even a tanning bed.

The company has theme days and encourages employees to decorate their cubicles. “Our No. 1 goal is fostering a culture of creativity and a culture of empowerment,” said Lemp. “The office space is sort of a result of that and our employees came up with a lot of the concepts for it.”

Lemp also had a message for companies that worry that too much stimulation or fun could be a distraction. “It comes down to having the right people,” he said.

“It’s all about having people that are comfortable with taking ownership, driving the ideas and pushing the cognitive limits on things. When you allow the team to control the ideas, they’re more likely to focus on the ideas and the solutions. I think the right people will thrive in an environment that’s open.”